The popular painkiller Darvocet, as well as brand name Darvon and the generic propoxyphene, were pulled from use in the United States last fall when the drug was linked to serious heart rhythm abnormalities. Studies found that even when taken in the recommended dosage, the drug can disrupt the electrical activity of the heart, leading to heart attack or sudden death. The drug has been in use in the U.S. since 1957. It has been prescribed to millions of patients during that time, and may have adversely affected hundreds of thousands of people before it was pulled from use.

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Recorded: April 28, 2011

Courtesy of: Beasley Allen

Keywords: Pharmaceutical, General Pharmaceutical